The Ridley Fenix was the eventual winner of our shootout – however, it’s not the perfect bike if you prefer an upright riding positionDavid Rome / Future Publishing

Part of the Ridley’s winning success is its quality frame – an oversized tapered head-tube and beautifully internally routed cables are features we’d expect at a far higher priceDavid Rome / Future Publishing

The Ridley Fenix frame features triple-butted aluminium, which has been hydroformed to these radical shapes, boosting stiffness without weight increaseDavid Rome / Future Publishing

Five of the bikes tested feature Tiagra shifters – these use an older ergonomic design from Shimano; expose the cable straight out of the shifter; and are the best shifter to still offer gear indicatorsDavid Rome / Future Publishing

The Fenix features a rather basic FSA crankset – however, unlike the Trek’s square tapered version, this one was suitably stiffDavid Rome / Future Publishing

Plenty of hills – a road bike must shine on the climbs, otherwise it’s going to be a miserable experience with every inclineDavid Rome / Future Publishing

The Apollo Giro scored a close second in our test – it’s a great bike but still not the best option for those seeking a more upright, comfortable positionDavid Rome / Future Publishing

The downtube is a weird sausage shape, tapering to a smaller diameter at the weld pointsDavid Rome / Future Publishing

The Shimano 105 rear derailleur is unusually long – this may be a blessing in disguise if you ever feel you need a wider range of gears (such as a 32T at the back instead of the stock 28T)David Rome / Future Publishing

The lightweight Sun Ringle wheels left us torn – we loved the light feel on the climbs, but a soft metal surface had us picking metal chips out of the brake pads for the first few hoursDavid Rome / Future Publishing

The Merida Ride 93 is another strong option, though also the most expensive on test (just)David Rome / Future Publishing

Merida is a master of aluminium manufacturing and this frame is proof – a curved and shaped tube with the brake cable disapearing insideDavid Rome / Future Publishing

The Merida is the only bike on test with a carbon fibre seatpost. Entry-level carbon seatposts often feature an aluminium core as reinforcement, and so there’s little ride quality difference with this additionDavid Rome / Future Publishing